Dr. Michael Leeds

“Americans report that disrespect, lack of consideration and rudeness are serious, pervasive problems that affect them on a personal, gut level. Americans say that the way they are treated by business and customer service employees is frequently exasperating, and sometimes insulting. Many workers are careless, apathetic and unhelpful. Almost half of those surveyed say that they have walked out of a business specifically because of bad service “(Public Agenda, 2002).

Any person who deals directly with the public will need to know how to cope with and address rude and disrespectful behavior in the workplace, the office, or other public arenas. Knowing what professional behavior should look like, and how to get there is a matter of grave attention. How should a staff person respond when a client becomes angry or threatening ?

This Full Circle Program examines the dynamics of anger and hostility and the risks they present. The goal is to learn how to deal with difficult people in a professional manner.

The workshop describes successful methods for coping with uncivil behavior, and, therapeutic methods for dealing with the angry person. Through didactic presentation, small group work and structured learning experiences, this experience will increase the participant's awareness and skill level in coping with and diffusing anger, hostility and aggression.

Americans are bombarded with messages, often mixed and conflicting, regarding the nature and appropriateness of anger and aggression in current society. The messages we send by our words and deeds, specifically those arising from media coupled with the apparent acceptance of outrageous individual behavior, has rendered severe blows to family communication as well as almost all personal relationships. These behaviors include verbal abuse, overt hostility towards authority, road (and ski resort) rage, guerrilla humor, sarcasm and blaming, and using anger as retaliation or excuse for our actions.

This Full Circle Program – Anger, Hostility, and Aggression - examines the dynamics of anger and hostility and the risks they present in modern society. The goal is to learn how to differentiate between anger and hostility and to consider the profound implications; and, to develop functional social skills to successfully interact with the challenges of everyday worklife.

Healthy anger management means learning to identify triggers, and to control inappropriate expressions - and, being accountable for outcomes – and, acknowledging the impact of modeling on future generations. Through didactic presentation, small group work and structured learning experiences, this experience will increase the participant's awareness and skill level in coping with and diffusing anger, hostility and aggression.

All children will be exposed to peer aggression during their school experience. Most children are able to handle aggression that is within the mild to moderate range without adult assistance. All children, however, need help with aggressive behavior in the form of bullying that is in the moderate to severe range.

The bully is that child who has developed the attitude that it’s acceptable to extort, ostracize and assault their peers. The victim has a similar learning process - that it’s OK to be a victim. It’s a problem from kindergarten through the entire school system.

School bullying has remained a significant and constant social problem since before the motion picture Rebel Without A Cause. Research suggests that 15% percent of school children are involved in bully-victim problems. One in 10 students is regularly harassed or attacked by bullies. Research indicates that the single most effective deterrent to bullying is adult authority.

This Full Circle Workshop introduces and describes “The Bully Fix” - a school based experiential intervention that is directed at reducing negative and aggressive behaviors and refocusing students upon acquiring recognized prosocial replacement behaviors.

A Rite of Passage is a ceremony that marks or celebrates the experience of a life transition. Symbolically, rites represent the end of an old life and the birth of a new. Throughout human history, rites of passage have existed to help people undertake, complete and understand their life passages, a process of discovering from within a personal vision and it’s understanding of it’s meaning.

One recent development in post modern society is the life -passage known as “teenager”. This has been characterized most recently ( in human history) as a time of rapid physical change, of intense feelings and fluctuating emotions.

Crossing the bridge from childhood to adulthood has always been a perilous journey - traditional societies have accepted this and developed initiation rituals that benefit young people. This initiation is to occur during a ceremonial rite, accompanied by the guidance of wise elders, and with the support of the immediate community, who will unify and commit to serve as pilot navigators for this individual through this transition from childhood to adult.

Such ceremonies, essential to the well-being of a society, clearly enabled our ancestors to find meaning and guidance during the major turning points of their lives. They rituals have largely disappeared from the modern industrialized world., or have been replaced with contemporary media.

Learning Objectives

1. Purpose and Meaning of Rituals2. Default Rites of Passage3. “Memes”4. Structure and Components5. Stages of Life6. Culture Issues 7. Life Transitions8. Ceremonies and Rituals in Daily Life

Hazing

This interactive workshop will identify and describe the persistent phenomena of “hazing” in high school and college sports, and in the workplace. The goal of this Full Circle Workshop is to describe the role of initiation in history, and to identify the potential hazards in sports and social organizations for not recognizing human development. This program will also provide strategies to reduce the negative consequences of this “problem behavior”. Research and program designs will describe a consideration of the wider backdrop of rites of passage in response to “hazing”.

To be stressed out, or to be mellow? If only this was the question. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. And, it’s not the question, really. Frankly it is not really a matter of choosing between struggling to survive in a stressful world - or retiring under a tree watching life go by. That’s not the issue with stress, or with anger management for that matter.

Rather, over and over again the literature clearly states - stress does not come from what we experience, but significantly more important, from how our perceptions of our environment effect the reactions we have.

This Full Circle Workshop will help participants refine or acquire more effective tools personal management of stress. Participants will discover how the development of internal skills will help to make peace within as well as with the world around us.

This workshop will integrate Flow Theory with basic principals of T'ai Chi, an ancient Chinese "internal style" martial art to promote the benefits of self-discovery and health.

Learn fundamental T'ai Chi concepts and initial physical movements that will begin the journey of discovering one method of staying calm in the face of conflict, reducing stress and promoting health.

Parents say that today's American society offers a difficult environment for rearing children. They say our society barrages youngsters with harmful messages. And, if parents are not very careful, society can pose genuine physical dangers for kids.These hazards are a the ”source of constant worry, creating tougher challenges than finances or lack of family time.” (Public Agenda, 2002)

This Full Circle Workshop will increase knowledge and understanding of the dramatic changes in the structure and function of the post modern family in North America. We will address current patterns of family structure and function. Participants will increase their ability to help cope with family history while cultivating knowledge and skills that will positively impact developing positive choices and lifestyles.

For clinicians and mental health providers. This workshop will increase knowledge regarding the effects of trauma upon children. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder will be described, along with other operational definitions. The Family distress cycle is reviewed, including an emphasis upon domestic violence. The acute and chronic stress response characteristics are discussed. Strategies for coping with trauma will be described. Emphasis is placed upon those vital issues that are likely to yield positive resolutions.

Full Circle: Student Assistance Program

Student Assistance Programs are regarded as a “best practice model program “for k-12 schools as a strategy for developing Safe and Drug Free Schools.

This Full Circle Workshop will develop knowledge and skills required to develop a comprehensive school safety and violence prevention program. Specifically, this workshop will introduce the Full Circle: Student Assistance Program , the contemporary comprehensive school model of the earlier drug and alcohol specific programs.

The primary emphasis of student assistance program is the mobilization and implementation of student health assistance programs - a collaborative school and community process that will generate the planning, development and implementation of multiple strategies that:--Reduce specific risk factors related to the behavioral problems among youth, including those that contribute to tobacco, alcohol and other drug use, anti-social behavior, and school failure. --Strengthen a set of protective factors that will work to ensure young people's health and well being, and maximize their academic success.